Floating Ice cover

Floating Ice

Rating 3.0
Word count
114K words
Chapters
24
ISBN
9787551103053

Tags

Summary

This is a novel that chronicles the transformation of Guyu Town from prosperity to desolation—a story filled with warmth and sorrow. Guyu Town once had four treasures: the Niu family's chisels, the Liu family's purple-tipped brushes, the Wang family's tailor shears, and the Jiang family's dumpling filling. Once alive with the bustle of everyday life, Guyu Town has now been worn down to a faceless uniformity. Of the four treasures, some have vanished entirely, some have moved abroad, and only a septuagenarian stone carver remains.

Editor's review

*Floating Ice* is a modern novel of distinctive style by the writer Yizhi. Through delicate strokes and cool narration, it depicts the way contemporary people drift between urban life and their inner world—like ice floating on the sea, hard and aloof on the surface yet hiding fragility and movement beneath the water. Yizhi is not a prolific writer, but the prose has a rare restraint and precision, keenly capturing the subtle folds of characters' emotions and the minute changes of atmosphere. In content, the book does not pursue dramatic plot but focuses more on psychological exploration and the creation of atmosphere; reading it requires a degree of patience and sensitivity. Its literary value lies in a poetic exploration of the loneliness, alienation, and struggles of self-identity common to modern people, with concise yet tense language and skillfully used imagery. For readers who prefer strongly literary work attentive to inner life, this is a book that can provoke deep resonance and reflection. It offers no simple answers or consolation but presents a state of being, inviting readers to gaze upon and understand this modern kind of drifting.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers who enjoy strongly literary novels attentive to psychological description and atmosphere
  • Readers interested in themes of modern loneliness, alienation, and self-identity
  • Readers who appreciate a concise, precise narrative style rich in imagery
  • Readers who wish to think deeply and be emotionally immersed while reading

Not a good fit for

  • Readers seeking strong plot, fast pacing, and a clear ending
  • Readers hoping for light entertainment or direct emotional release from reading

Reading tips

  1. Read in a relatively quiet, undisturbed setting to better enter the atmosphere the work creates.
  2. Slow down as you read and savor the author's portrayal of detail and character psychology.
  3. After finishing, close the book and linger a while, reflecting on how the state it describes connects with your own experience.

About the publisher

Huashan Literature and Art Publishing House is a local literature and art publisher whose main publishing focus is literary and artistic works, covering categories such as classic works, philosophical readings, social sciences, foreign literature, Eastern philosophy, and applied psychology. Judging from the books in the database, the house publishes modern literary classics such as Xiao Hong's The Story of Hulan River, as well as Aisin Gioro Yu Yun's "Yu Laoshi Speaks" series and titles from the "People and Classics" series, including The Great Learning and The Commentary on the Xici of the I Ching, with an emphasis on interpreting traditional classics. In foreign literature, it offers Michael Cunningham's The Hours, Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and Dave Pilkey's Dog Man series. Its authors include Xiao Hong, Aisin Gioro Yu Yun, Chen Jiong, Dave Pilkey, Michael Cunningham, and Wang Jiaxiang. Its publishing character lies in balancing literary classics, interpretations of traditional culture, and translations of foreign literature, forming a diverse reading structure for general readers. Public information is limited, and the above focuses on the publishing directions reflected by the books in the database.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 题记
  3. 楔子
  4. 小像
  5. 第一话 “这秘密,绝不能被第三个人知道。”
  6. 第二话 “她是谁?怎会有书屋钥匙?”
  7. 第三话 “九分枣、一分姜,三勺蜜枣露。”
  8. 第四话 “混账玩意儿,你不能乘人之危……”
  9. 第五话 “要给姜家小妞妞!”
  10. 第六话 “童年的事,只要有你,我都记得。”
  11. 第七话 老唐要娶藏了三十年的大瓷盆儿。
  12. 第八话 “傻娃娃,真正的苦从不在嘴里。”
  13. 第九话 “把信还给我!”
  14. 第十话 “李奶奶,我姓姜。”
  15. 第十一话 “我们家的小刘先生,真是很喜欢姜家小丫头啊。”
  16. 第十二话 “我羡慕他。”
  17. 第十三话 “好想再和爷爷一起吃顿饭。”
  18. 第十四话 “最好的作品,永远是下一个。”
  19. 第十五话 “为什么不是太阳婆婆?”
  20. 第十六话 梓羲记之
  21. 第十七话 沉默,沉默……
  22. 第十八话 无论怎样,千万不要去看日落
  23. 尾声
  24. 番外

FAQ

Is the book strongly story-driven?
The book is not strongly story-driven. It does not depend on strong external conflict or dramatic plot development; its focus is on deeply portraying characters' inner states and existential situations and on building atmosphere.
What frame of mind does reading this book require?
Read with a quiet, open mind willing to look inward. It is better suited to feeling and reflection than to seeking excitement or diversion.
Does the author Yizhi have other works?
Yizhi has relatively few works; *Floating Ice* is one of the representative ones, and the writing as a whole remains devoted to literary quality and inner exploration.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

一稚 Author

Yi Zhi is a writer about whom limited public information is available. Little can be confirmed at present: their nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, and writing career have not been disclosed. The library holds one work by this author, the social novel Floating Ice. Based on the available material, this work is the main entry point for understanding Yi Zhi's writing. Its subject matter places it in the category of social fiction, suggesting that the author attends to social reality and the circumstances of ordinary people, and tends to present stories and conflicts within a particular social environment through fiction. Because more works and biographical materials are lacking, it is difficult to make a full judgment about the overall direction of Yi Zhi's style, their language, or their creative ideas, nor is it possible to know what influences shaped their writing or how it has been received in literary circles. Readers wishing to know Yi Zhi should begin with Floating Ice and consider its perspective on society and narrative approach through the text itself; only if new works or further materials become public may the author's profile gradually become clearer.

Top rated in the same category